Blood Tracks
by nightcirque
Summary: Mercy Darter thought her life was normal, until her best friend disappears, and everything goes spiralling out of control. Soon, she discovers that she has a destiny that rests with the creatures of the night. Will she be able to save the vampires?
1. Find Our Saviour

Hey guys!

This is my first story posted on this account. I did start 'Blood Tracks' on my previous account, FallenFate13, but i'm starting again, new main character and everything (:

Its rated K+ cause i'm paranoid ;D

Please Rate and Review, it would mean a lot!

And sorry its kinda short :3

(C) Darren Shan, I own nobody.

And I am not Darren Shan, I can safely assure you.

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**Prologue ; _Find Our Saviour_**

The vampire princes had been called together for an urgent meeting. It was a cold night, inside Vampire Mountain and out. All of the Princes were present – Arrow, Mika Ver Leth, Vancha March and the boy prince – though he was very much more a man that a boy now.

"Larten," the boy prince said, resting a hand on his former mentor's shoulder. "I know that last time you did this sort of thing you ended up with me, but-"

"blooding you, Darren," Mr Crepsley interrupted, "was the best decision I ever made."

Darren smiled again. "I wish I could come with you." He said. "But I know this task is not for me. And anyway, once Vancha is gone too, I will not be permitted to leave the Mountain." He sighed.

"And remember," Darren said, "As soon as you see her, you will know she is the chosen one. Mr Tiny told us that much." The Vampire Prince hesitated, and then, "I am trusting you Larten," His voice was serious. "I can do no more for our kind. The girl will be in her home, where I told you. Take Vancha, and find her. She is the only one who can save us, Larten. The only one."

The red-haired vampire nodded, then held his arm out to his former assistant.

"Luck, Darren Shan."

"Luck, Larten Crepsley."


	2. Missing

Chapter Two, guys! Remember to rate and review! :3

(C) Darren Shan. I don't own anybody but Mercy Darter, Harry and Kelly Darter and Bonnie Ford.

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**Chapter Two ; _Missing_**

Hi. My name is Mercy Darter.

I always was an ordinary girl. I had an ordinary life. Ordinary friends, ordinary school. It was all ordinary. Up to the day of that awful disappearance. The disappearance that changed my life forever.

"Did we get any history homework?" I was walking home from school with my best friend, Bonnie Ford. The girl doesn't pay much attention in class, and she never notes down her homework.

"Yes, Bonnie." I sighed. "You really should pay more attention to Miss Sims, and then you would know, instead of having to ask me all the time!"

She glowered out from under her hoodie. I didn't have a clue why she was wearing it. It was almost Summer, and the warm air and bright sunlight lit up my days. But Bonnie always wore her hoodie – it was like a tradition.

It was Friday, which made me naturally happy, and Bonnie too. So we raced eachother home, cutting through the overgrown grass as quickly as we could. I grinned as I sped past my friend and stopped at the lamp post, which was our finishing point. Bonnie growled at me playfully when she caught up. I just stuck my tongue out at her, and we hugged and went our separate ways.

It was quiet when I got home. My mom and dad were at work, and my older sister Kelly was at her boyfriend's. My older brother, Harry, should be here though. He was two years older than me, and Kelly was five years older. I'm the youngest, at fourteen. Its hard sometimes, but hohum.

Mom and Dad don't care about me or Harry, and they hardly see Kelly. I think they used to. Back when we never caused any trouble – we were all very sweet and good as kids. But now, they're always out, never spending time with us and never caring where or how we spend our lives. The only ones that I really cared about in this life and that loved me back were Harry, Kelly and Bonnie.

I peeked into Harry's room and saw him sitting at his computer. "Yo," I said, poking his strawberry-blonde mess of hair.

"Howdy," he replied, swinging round on the rotating chair to face me. "Mom and Dad are out as usual tonight, and so's Kel, and i'm having Archie round, so do you want to call Bonnie and invite her over?"

I grinned big, and then I hugged my brother – a rare thing. "Thanks," I grinned and skipped out of the room to ring my friend up.

I dialled her number and counted the rings. And counted them. And counted them. She didn't pick up. That was strange – Bonnie never missed a phonecall, and especially not one from me. I rang her home phone next. Two rings and it was picked up. My heart jolted in relief until I recognized the voice on the other end to be Bonnie's mom.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Mercy. Can I speak to Bonnie?"

I started to panic when the reply came. "She isn't home yet," the fear was clear in her mother's voice. "Are you home, Mercy? Did you walk home with her?"

"Yes, I did. I left her at the usual place." I paced my room anxiously.

After trying continuously to call my best friend on her mobile, I soon gave up and went to bed. I couldn't sleep that night. Bonnie was missing – she hadn't come home. She wasn't picking up her mobile. Fear crept through me like a snake slivering through grass, and soon I fell into a troubled sleep.

I woke up suddenly, and then remembered that Bonnie was missing. I made my way gloomily downstairs. It felt like a dark, heavy cloud was floating over my head... and it was promising thunder.

And that was the moment when Harry entered the kitchen looking forlorn. I'd never seen him so... distraught and helpless. "Harry?" I asked. "What's wrong?"

My brother didn't reply, he just switched on the TV without a word. The news was on... and that's when I saw the picture of Bonnie.

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Please tell me what you think! Chapter 3 will contain a lil' bit of attempted suicide, so don't say I didn't warn you!

~Nightcirque.


	3. Blood River

Hey, guys! Just to warn you, this chapter has some attempted suicide, so if you are one of those people who wince at stuff like that, don't say I didn't warn you!

(C) Darren Shan, he owns all the characters except Mercy Darter, Harry Darter and Bonnie Ford.

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**Chapter Three; _Blood River_**

"Bonnie Ford was found dead outside her home early this morning." The unchanging, serious face of the reporter told me. I was shocked. I couldn't move.

The screen changed to... to the road that led to Bonnie's house. The reporter said, "Her body was found on this spot at one o'clock this morning by some passing teenagers. The body was..." She cleared her throat lightly. "The body was found drained of blood."

All of a sudden I felt cold. My body shook, and Harry held me for support. But it was uncontrollable. The shuddering racked through my body. I was too shocked to cry for a few long minutes, and then I bawled my eyes out.

Harry tried to comfort me. He knew it wouldn't work, and he was right. The uncontrollable shaking racked my body bringing me lower and lower into an unstable state of depression. And it hurt. It squeezed my heart – scratched at it – threatening to burst it open.

"I... I need... I need some... time." I managed to stutter out between shudders. Harry looked unsure, but nodded and I exited the house. I couldn't think straight – my mind was rapidly racing, not sure to believe that my best friend was dead. I stumbled outside, walking in no particular direction, until I spotted the road. The brightly coloured flashes that zoomed past me didn't really register in my brain.

So I walked straight out onto the road.

The car that hit me was, unfortunately, driving well over the speed limit. It hit me full on, and sent me flying into the undergrowth beyond. I felt the sticky blood wreath underneath me, hot and fresh. My blood. And it was flowing from me freely, like a river.

And then, suddenly, everything went black.


	4. Dying Or Undead?

So, you must have established by now that my chapters are really short. Sorry D:

Anyways, here's Chapter 4 for ya, don't forget to R & R!

(C) Darren Shan, all the characters, 'part from Mercy.

CREPSLEY'S IN THIS CHAPTER! -squee-

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**Chapter Four ;_ Dying... or Undead?_**

Larten Crepsley led the way as a very bored-looking Vancha March followed cautiously. They had travelled a long way already. But they were almost there – Crepsley knew it.

Following difficult directions that Darren had told them about, they soon found themselves next to a busy motorway. "Stop, sire," Mr Crepsley held up a hand to signal the cautious Vancha. "I smell blood."

Vancha paused. "Yes. I smell it too."

"I am curious." Crepsley whispered urgently. "The girl's home is off here somewhere. You go ahead and look for it. I will stay and investigate – a Vampaneze could have been here."

Vancha nodded. "Good idea, but hurry – we must not waste any more time." The Prince was officially a higher rank than the red-haired vampire – but Darren had specifically asked Larten to take the lead – he knew he was better suited for the task in hand.

Once Vancha had gone off in search of the girl's house, Mr Crepsley followed the scent of the blood. And when he saw it's source, he gasped.

Mercy's POV.

Suddenly I felt my body being lifted off the ground. Lightly, like they just wanted to check who I was, and that picking me up was no effort at all. But why were they lifting me? I was bleeding – and I was sane enough to know that I was close to death. That's what I wanted – I concluded bluntly. But still I was held there, and then lowered back down to the ground. But the arms still didn't leave from underneath me.

"Stay still," A strange, unfamiliar voice commanded gruffly. "I am going to help you."

"N...no. Don't want help. Leave me. Want to... want to die." I stuttered, trying to swat my saviour away.

"Suicide," the stranger muttered. "Too many lives are lost because of it."

And then, suddenly, he had joined his fingers to mine, and I realised my fingers were bleeding, and so were his – and he was pressing our bleeding fingertips together.

All of the pain from the car slamming into me had subsided, only to be replaced by a severe, excruciating pain that ripped through my entire being. Like a poison – trapping itself in my heart.

I howled in pain, and the man shushed me. "Stay strong." He told me, and my world faded into darkness once again.


	5. There's A Lot You Don't Know

Here's Chapter 5, i'd really appreciate it if you rated and reviewed, and please tell me if I can improve on anything?

Thank youuuu :D

Nightcirque.

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**Chapter Five ; _There's A Lot You Don't Know_**

I woke up in a mess. My eyes opened groggily. The stars shimmered ahead of me in an indigo blue night sky. What was I doing here? And then I remembered my suicide attempt, wanting to die, the car, the blood oozing around me... and finally, the man who had saved me. I sat up sharply and looked around. Was he here right now?

He was staring at me intently. It was the first time I actually got to look at him properly – in my half dead state before I hadn't really got a good look. But now I did. He was ugly, in his own unique way. He had a pale face with scars all over it – I especially noticed a long one that slashed right over the left side of his face. He had a crop of orange-red hair and wore red clothes and a flowing crimson cloak.

"At last." The man commented, standing up. "I did think you were not going to make it."

"Erm... excuse me, but who the HELL are you?" I asked, exasperated, trying not to sound like a complete and utter brat.

"I saved you." He replied tautly. "A simple thank you would be appreciated."

"Thanks..." I mumbled. "But I didn't want to be saved."

"And I did not want to watch a perfectly young, healthy human like yourself die because of a suicide attempt."

I shook my head. "Who are you?" I asked in disbelief.

"My name is Mr Crepsley." The man looked at me, and I saw something in his eyes that made me feel... like he wasn't telling me something. "And..." he studied me curiously. "I know who you are."

I crossed my arms suspiciously. "Give it your best shot," I snorted.

"Mercy Darter." Mr Crepsley said matter-of-factly. But the way he said it was spooky and mysterious.

I gasped. "How did you-"

"Now is not the time for questions." He snapped abruptly, cutting me off.

It suddenly came to my realisation that I was, in fact, still alive. _Well done, Mercy,_ I congratulated myself sarcastically.

"Wait a second," I held up a finger to my 'saviour'. "Would you please tell me how i'm actually still alive? I was pretty much dead when you came along. Did you take me to hospital or something?"

He looked amused at this, and shook his head. "No." He sighed, hesitated, and then said, "I hate this part."

"What part?" I asked quizzically, confused.  
"The part when I tell you what you now are – what I changed you into." He laughed, as if something was very funny. "In order to save your life – and for another reason that you will soon discover – I had to turn you into something... something that I am. Something that no one believes in... except those rare... _mad_... clever ones." He chucked again, to himself.

"What are you talking about?" I was anxious now.  
"You will not believe me." Mr Crepsley shook his head again. "I am going to call Vancha." He said, half to himself. I didn't bother to hide the fact that I had no idea who Vancha was or what he was talking about.  
"Just tell me what the heck you are!" I demanded, impatient and confused.  
But he didn't even look at me. He just stared off into space. "What are you doing now?" I asked in disbelief. This strange man was starting to really annoy me. But he held his finger up for silence. I huffed and sat back, glowering at him. He didn't speak for a while, but soon enough there was a rustling in the bushes next to me and another man stepped out. He wore nothing but purple animal furs, he had slick green – yes, green! – hair, and red skin, like he had been burnt nastily by the sun.

"Mercy, this is Vancha. Vancha... well, you know who this is."  
Vancha nodded to me. "And all that time I was wondering why she wasn't in the house."  
"Wait, MY house?" I yelled, enraged.  
Crepsley sighed. "We will explain it all to you later."  
"No, we won't. Vancha cut in, swinging his feet over the log where we sat and seating himself. "Can't you see, Larten? The girl's scared and confused. You will tell her now." He ordered.  
"Valid point." Crepsley nodded.

The red haired man rubbed his hands together.  
"We are... you are a being of the night. A vampire. But I have only made you half-vampire – there are many disadvantages to becoming a full vampire at your age."  
Vancha shook his head. "You are really bad at explaining things, Larten."

My mouth dropped into an 'o' of astonishment.  
"Do you think this is some sort of JOKE?" I demanded furiously. "My best friend died less than twenty-four hours ago, you miraculously saved me from certain death, and now your torturing me even more with your stupid horror stories?"  
"But that is just the thing. You are dead. Just in an entirely different way."  
I gaped at him silently, too angry to speak.  
"I told you you would not believe me." Crepsley muttered.  
"Hell I don't!" I snapped. "You want me to believe-" I cut short abruptly when the orange-haired man disappeared entirely. I gasped and swung round to see Crepsley with a sly smile on his face. He shrugged. "Would a human be able to do that?" he challenged. "Or this?" Suddenly he was over the other side of the clearing, and he reached down and uprooted a tree using just one hand. "Okay." Vancha muttered. "That's enough of the showing off, you fool."  
I gasped. "How did you do that?" He shrugged again. "It is the vampire blood in me."  
I spluttered indignantly, and then, "Look at your fingers." He demanded, and I obeyed. There was a tiny white scar on each of the fingers, and the thumbs. I looked at them, shocked. I'd heard the tales of the old-fashioned way of how vampires made humans into vampires.  
"The mark of the vampire." Mr Crepsley confirmed my thoughts, and then held up his own hands. I raised my eyes from my hands slowly to meet those of the vampires. I saw the same white scars embedded on each of his fingertips. And then I burst into tears.

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Thanks for reading PLEEEEEASE R&R!

~Nightcirque.


	6. Lurking Enemies

Hey people!

Sorry its been a longer wait for this chapter.

But here ya go!

BY THE WAY, my series take place as if Darren, Mr Crepsley and a few others didn't die. I was cross with the real Darren Shan for killing them off, especially Larten (:

© Darren Shan.

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**Chapter Six; _Lurking Enemies_**

As I cried, I swore I heard rustling in the bushes behind me. I looked around, but no one was there. Crepsley and Vancha were still in front of me.

Once I had cleared up my embarrassing display, Mr Crepsley asked softly, "Do you believe me now?"

"I don't want to kill people!" I shouted, my voice shaking, ignoring the vampire's question, and pushing the feeling that I was being watched to the back of my mind.

"Vampires do not kill people." Mr Crepsley hissed. "That's the Vampaneze that do that." Vancha added.

"Vampaneze?" I asked curiously.

"Our… bloodthirsty rivals. We all used to be like them, Mercy, we all killed when we drank. But then I and a few others invented an idea – If we just took the blood we needed and did not just completely drain the bodies like starving hyenas devouring their prey, we would not get the vampire hunters on us… humans." Crepsley explained, then paused. "And now, just over half of the creatures of the night feed this way. The vampires. The other half hate us. The Vampaneze. Most are mad, bloody and rage-driven monsters of the night. But I have met that odd Vampaneze that just want the best for their kind."

"Once you see one, you'll never forget the face." Vancha chipped in grimly.

"How comes?" I asked timidly.

"They have purple skin." Vancha waved a hand as if this was a normal thing. "And red eyes and nails. The purple pigment in their skin comes from overdosing on too much blood. Crazy they are – mad." He muttered darkly. "and now they're coming back. Arising again. In much bigger numbers, too."

"You see, about a hundred years ago, there was a war. The War of the Scars. Their Lord was killed by one of our own." Mr Crepsley smiled. "My former assistant – now one of the most well respected vampires of our time."

"of your time? He must be old." I mused.

Mr Crepsley and Vancha burst into laughter.

"What?" I asked, irritated.

The oldest vampire was Paris Skyle. When he died, he was over 800 years old. He met William Shakespeare."

I gaped, wondering if he was lying.

"How old are you?" I asked Mr Crepsley testily.

"Nearly 300 years old." He told me, grinning. "Darren's only just hit his hundreds!"

Vancha smiled. "Darren, the one that killed the Vampaneze Lord – is a Vampire Prince. As am I. There are two others, and together we are the highest rank of vampires that you can get."

I nodded, trying to take all this in.

"Listen, Mercy. You will not be able to go home now. That is the thing – you will never be able to go back."

"Why?" I was close to tears again. I thought about Harry and Kelly. I didn't care about my mom or my dad – they hated me – and Bonnie was dead, but my siblings…

"You would end up killing your family," Vancha said sadly.

I knew that was coming, and I quickly wiped away the angry tear that slipped from my already-wet eyes. And then a realisation came to me and almost knocked me straight off my feet.

"Wait a second!" I roared, surprising even myself at how fierce my voice sounded. "Your vampires! Vampires drink blood!" I glared furiously at them, my voice a snarl, remembering what the reporter had said about Bonnie's body on the news that morning. "Her body was drained of blood!"

They knew who I was talking about straightaway.

"We just told you – we don't kill people!" Vancha hissed. "When we can, we prevent the deaths!"

"Vampaneze killed your friend." Mr Crepsley said, more calmly. "We discovered the body last night, and it reeked of Vampaneze."

I sobbed again. I had to admit to myself, I was acting like a baby, but this whole vampire business was obviously life changing. "Why am I even like this?" I growled angrily, letting the tears spill over. "Why did you make me into a Vampire? Maybe I didn't want that! Maybe, just maybe, I wanted to die! Maybe I should have got the chance to choose which direction my life took!"

"Half vampire." Vancha corrected softly, which earned him a glare from me.

"You were dying," Mr Crepsley muttered. "I could not watch you die and leave you there." He ducked his head. "I am most deeply sorry."

"But there's something else!" I wailed. "You said there was! Now go on, why did you do it?"

Mr Crepsley looked over at Vancha, who nodded sternly. "It's time." He told the red-haired vampire.

_Meanwhile, in a cave far away…_

Five Vampaneze stood bickering in their current lair. It was only temporary – Vampaneze never stayed in one place for long.

One of the Vampaneze, their leader, a tall male with purple-tinged skin and blood-red eyes with shocking crimson nails on all fingers, apart from his left thumb with was completely gone, snarled.

"I want the girl found!" He bellowed nastily to his companions. "Whatever it takes! She will be the downfall of all of us! She must be stopped."

"She isn't even aware of the damage she could cause yet." Another Vampaneze argued. He was on his knees, breathing heavily. He had just flitted a long way. "Surely we should wait a while, Horeas?"

"No!" Horeas snapped threateningly. "I want you to bring her to me, ALIVE, before she can find out what power she truly holds."

"We won't be able to get to her though." The kneeling Vampaneze wheezed. "Larten Crepsley protects the girl now. From what I saw, he is now her mentor. And those vampires are not likely to let their saviour fall into the hands of us."

"Let me deal with Crepsley." Horeas smiled evilly. "Still… despite her power… I wonder why he blooded one so young. Why one so young is their saviour! I cannot even begin to fathom, Dasen! It is most… unlike them." He kept his evil smile up. Dasen, the kneeling Vampaneze, shrugged. Then their master spoke again. "Ah, yes, my brothers. Our time has come. And this time, we shall not fail like Leonard did! The girl shall be found and stripped of her many powers, and then Vampaneze will rule over all beings of the eternal night!" His cackle that followed echoed throughout the entire cave.


	7. The Oath of Revenge

Not much to say, so here you go!

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**Chapter Seven; **_**The Oath of Revenge**_

The vampires walked along the forest path, me in between them. Then Crepsley broke the silence and began the story.

"You see, Mercy." He started, and I prepared for much confusion. I'd only known the vampire for a short time and already I knew that he was a bit rubbish when it came to explaining things. "There is a strange man, Mr Tiny, who knows… well, everything. He is the most powerful man on Earth. He can tell the future – though this is usually forbidden, depending on how dire the situation is - and he can create new life with dead souls and rotting flesh. His first name is Desmond. Now, if you shortened that and put it together with his surname, you get…"

"Destiny." I breathed in wonder.

"Precisely. So, anyway, Mr Tiny-"

"He's such a creep." Vancha interrupted, shuddering. "I swear that man could bring about the apocalypse if he tried!"

"As I was saying," Mr Crepsley continued with a sideways glance at the green-haired man. "Mr Tiny disappeared shortly after the War of the Scars was won – which was the exact same war when the Lord of the Vampaneze was killed. But a few months ago, he returned. He told Darren that the Vampaneze were returning – they would get revenge – and this time it would not be Darren who would win the war for us."

"What has any of this got to do with me?" I cut in. I was still very confused.

Mr Crepsley shushed me quite rudely, and then carried on. It was clear from his face that he was growing tired of the interruptions. "Mr Tiny told Darren that, this time, I myself would have to blood a new human – and this one would be stronger that Darren himself." He cleared his throat. "And then Mr Tiny… brainwashed us, if you like. All of us in the Mountain – Vampire Mountain, that is – so that when we saw the person, we would know for sure that they were the saviour.

"So Darren sent Vancha and I to find the saviour… and when we found them, I was to blood them into a half-vampire and take them on as my assistant."

I stopped walking. This all made sickening sense.

"It's me, isn't it?" I asked them sadly, forlornly. They didn't need to reply. Their expressions were enough to tell me that I was right.

I had come to accept that I wouldn't be going home. Though Mr Crepsley said that I couldn't just leave. He explained to me that when he blooded Darren, he had to go through the same procedure. He would give me a concoction that would make my body go numb and make me appear dead. Then he would break my neck – though I wouldn't feel it – and drop me out of the window. Then, when my family put me in the funeral home, Mr Crepsley would sneak in and fix my broken neck. And then, finally, when I was buried in a coffin, deep underground, he would come and dig me out.

I wasn't fond of the idea, but Mr Crepsley reminded me that it was better than me suddenly going missing and the police looking everywhere for me. Besides, it would mean extreme emotional pain when it came to saying goodbye, so I agreed reluctantly.

Vancha had returned to Vampire Mountain to inform the other vampires that they had found and blooded me. Funnily enough, I was sad to see the humorous vampire go. In the short time that I'd known him, he'd cheered me up and cracked some very funny jokes, unlike my mentor.

Mr Crepsley was sitting in my room when I got back from a painful day at school a couple of days later. My new mentor had suggested that I go to school, just to show I wasn't depressed over my best friends death, which of course I was, but I wanted to appear stronger, appear that I had bravely overcome the overwhelming pain that was lodged inside my heart.

It was awful without Bonnie. I had been lonely all day, despite the fact that everyone had been crowding me all day, flooding me with pointless sympathy and pity.

I was in a state, yet again, when I returned home. I was starting to wonder if I really was depressed, I just couldn't stop crying whenever I thought about Bonnie or the new life I was about to lead as a vampire.

Everyone was out – even Harry this time – when I returned, but I knew when I went upstairs there was someone who _would_ be waiting for me. I held it off for as long as I could. I just didn't want to go up and face the vampire. Once I'd made myself a drink and eaten some crisps with exaggerated slowness, I drearily made my way upstairs.

He was sitting on my desk chair, and acknowledged my presence with a nod as I entered.

I almost ended up crying again, and I threw myself on my bed, burying my face in the pillow.

Suddenly Mr Crepsley was next to me. "Do not cry," He told me softly, "I am hopeless when it comes to crying."

"I'm not crying!" I almost snapped, but when I sat up I realised I was crying, but mainly not with sadness… with anger. I felt my body shake dangerously, and then I turned to face my mentor, who was gazing at me seriously.

"Mr Crepsley?"

"Yes, Mercy?"

"I swear… I swear it, that when I have the chance…" I paused for a deep, shaky breath. "I will wipe out all of those damn Vampaneze for what they did to Bonnie."

Mr Crepsley nodded in understanding. "It is your destiny to wipe them out. When the time is right to strike, you will have your chance."


	8. Everybody Hates Goodbyes

**Chapter Eight; **_**Everybody Hates Goodbyes**_

My so-called parents were out again, so I had time to say goodbye to Harry and to Kelly, who had come home from her boyfriend's early for a siblings night in. We'd all had quite a hard life after our parents had gone off us, and now all three of us were all snuggled onto the same sofa, watching The Mighty Boosh and laughing at it like maniacs. It was a great night – a great one to finish off my normal life. Tonight, I would die.

Tomorrow night, I would leave with Mr Crepsley.

It was near two o'clock in the morning when I said my goodnights. In my eyes, however, it wasn't just a goodnight. It was a goodbye. I said goodbye to Kelly first. I hugged her tightly, and she wasn't sure what to make of my sudden need to hug her. I kissed her on the forehead. "Seeya, Kel." Then I said goodbye to Harry. He too was surprised when I hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek.

I made my way upstairs, wiping tears from my eyes – knowing what was waiting for me. Mr Crepsley was once again waiting in my room, only this time he held a tiny glass vial with a clear liquid inside. "Are you ready?" He asked seriously. "It's not like I have a choice." I sighed. Crepsley handed me the vial and I drank it up quickly.

Suddenly I felt myself growing numb. I couldn't feel my lips. "Mmph." I grunted, and my mentor nodded slowly. "The concoction is working." Then the numbness reached my hands, and then my legs and arms. Finally it reached my torso and face, and I abruptly fell forwards.

Mr Crepsley expertly caught me and climbed out of the window swiftly, standing on the roof. He stood right at the edge and I heard a sharp CRACK as he snapped my neck. I didn't feel any pain, but the pain was definitely there, inside. I allowed the orange haired vampire to dangle me over the edge of the roof, above the ground.

"Welcome to the Night, Miss Darter." Mr Crepsley smirked in his mysterious manner, before dropping me off the roof.

Sorry its short D: next chapter will be up soon.


	9. Leave It All Behind

**Chapter Nine ; **_**Leave It All Behind**_

I lay there in silence for a while. My brother and sister still had the TV on, so didn't hear the thump as my 'lifeless' body hit the ground. I heard the car pull up about an hour or so later, and I had a sinking feeling deep in my stomach. I knew my parents had returned home… and I hoped with all my heart that they wouldn't walk straight past me, not even realising their daughter had just fallen to her death. But they reacted differently than I had expected. When they saw me, my mother gasped, and it was a fearful gasp. "Paul," She tugged on my father's sleeve. "Is that…?"

"Oh my god, it's Mercy!" My father yelled, running over and bending down next to me. My mother joined him in an instant. Paul prodded me gently, anguish clear in his eyes that reminded me so much of Harry's. "Her neck's broken, Elena." He gaped, moving my head limply. "No, no… she can't be… she's dead?" My mother asked in disbelief, horror latched onto her tone. "Go and get help, quickly! Ring an ambulance!" Paul pushed Elena to her feet, and my mother practically screamed and ran indoors, sobbing uncontrollably.

The ambulance came within ten minutes, but it took less than a minute for the medics to pronounce I was dead.

The viewing happened that very next day. The house was completely packed, so many people had come to say their goodbyes – I never knew everyone cared so much. Especially my parents. My mother wouldn't stop crying, and I had heard my dad crying to himself a lot too. Elena blamed herself for my death, claiming that she hadn't been a good enough mother. Pain ripped at my heart as the guests left, leaving me alone with Kelly and Harry. Listening to them crying in eachother's arms tore me apart, and if I could, I would have been crying along with them.

They stayed with me for a long time, many hours, talking to me. By the time the undertaker arrived, I felt like I'd been stabbed in the chest a million times over.

Finally, I was the only one in the room. In the house, even. Everyone was out, making preparations for my funeral that was, from what I heard, to take place the next morning. Darkness dawned, I could tell from the air getting colder, though my eyes were shut by the undertaker. I heard a feet landing on the floor just ahead of me, from the window, and knew that it was Mr Crepsley coming to fix my neck. He was silent, but as was the house, and with my adapted vampire hearing abilities, I could hear him slip over to my side. My senses were beginning to return, and I felt his cold hands pull one of my lids open. He must have still seen the glimmer of life, I guessed he was just making sure the potion had done what it was supposed to and hadn't killed me. He smiled reassuringly, then closed my lid again. I felt the ice cold of his hands again as he placed one of each side of my face and clicked my head sideways, fixing the neck swiftly. "Get used to this coffin," He tapped the side of it knowingly. "You will be spending a lot more time in it soon. I will come for you once the sun has gone down tomorrow night." Then he tapped my head, and then he was gone. Fixing my broken neck made it more comfortable when he was gone, and I was grateful that he had thought of how much discomfort I must have been in.

The funeral was the next morning. By this time, my senses had come back my a lot, and itches crawled their way up and down my skin, making me want to reach down and settle them. But even if I could move – that affect of the potion hadn't yet worn off – I couldn't have done, as it would have given the game away.

From inside the coffin I could hear every word the priest said. He said of all the people who would miss me, and what a wonderful person I had been. He mentioned Bonnie too. I hadn't been expecting that. He mentioned how I would be with her in Heaven. If only he knew. If only his words were true. I didn't want to become a vampire. I didn't want this. I would rather be up in the sky, in Heaven, with Bonnie. Then they buried me, and I was scared of the darkness below that was awaiting my presence with open jaws. The last thing I heard was the soil brushing against the lid of the coffin. I heard the last murmurs of the people that had once been involved in my life saying goodbye to me. I too, said goodbye. To myself. My human life had ended – my life as a vampire had only just begun.

My senses came back completely after a few hours in the cramp coffin. I was able to move again, and my eyes opened – not that that made a difference. I couldn't see a thing anyway. It was uncomfortable in the tight, enclosed coffin – I began to feel slightly claustrophobic. I wondered what the time was, hoping with all my heart that it was close to sunset.

After what felt like days, I started to hear digging. Extremely fast digging, with superhuman speed. I felt myself relax greatly, relieved that I would be getting out of this coffin soon. First, the digging was further up, but extremely quickly and soon it got closer and closer to me. Then I heard soil being brushed away from the lid and pulled up. I was brought back to the world with a beautiful night sky… and my not-so-beautiful vampire mentor staring down at me.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked, holding out a hand to me. I took it, and he pulled me up and out of the coffin.

"No," I answered regretfully, my tone flat. Closing the lid of the coffin and scraping soil back over it, Mr Crepsley sighed. "I am afraid that is too bad. We must go, before anybody spots us."

"I know." I said sadly, shoulders drooping.

We clambered – well, I clambered, he jumped – out of the deep dark hole that Mr Crepsley had dug down to my coffin and onto the grass. My mentor picked up the shovel and started heaving the soil back onto the coffin and filling up the hole with incredible speed. I swayed uneasily as I regained my balance. "Please never make me do that again." I gasped breathlessly. He turned back to look at me. "I am not promising anything." He replied, grinning in that extremely annoying way of his. "You will be sleeping in a coffin most days from now on."

I groaned at the thought. "Where are we going now?"

The orange haired vampire patted the last of the earth on my grave and broke the shovel into little pieces, tossing the fragments of metal and wood all over the graveyard. Once he had finished this, he stood up straight and scratched the scar on the left side of his face. "Well," He started. "We must wait for Vancha first. He is in the Mountain, and will inform us when we need to start making our way there."

"How will he inform us?" I asked in confusion.

"Vampires can send telepathic thoughts to eachother if we know their train of thought well." He explained. "We can send simple messages to eachother, and we can discover where the other is located."

I nodded. Since meeting Mr Crepsley and Vancha and learning that vampires were, in fact, real, nothing really surprised me much anymore.

"…But I know for a fact that you are nowhere near being able to make the journey to Vampire Mountain." He carried on thoughtfully. I huffed. "I'm sure the journey to your… Vampire Mountain isn't that difficult?"

Mr Crepsley fixed me with an amused expression. "Vampires like to push themselves, Mercy. They would rather die than admit defeat or be called a coward. We are prideful beings. The journey is not easy at all." I opened my mouth to answer a question, but he held up a finger for silence. "On the way to the mountain, we have no comforts, no luxuries, while we travel – and that is law. We are not permitted to wear shoes, and we are not allowed supplies such as ropes."

I gaped in disbelief. "It's a bloody mountain!"

"Yes," He nodded. "But vampires are tougher than humans. We can withstand the cold for longer, and we have much tougher skin. But the journey is made for challenging us." He grinned.

I was troubled at this, but nodded. "And anyway," The vampire continued, "You have a lot to learn about our ways before we can even attempt the journey."

"Like what?"

"You will soon find out." He tapped his nose knowingly, and I gave up.

"When we get there, the non-prince vampires – as the princes will already know through Vancha – the non-princes will be very surprised to find that you are a girl." He mused. I fired up at this. "What's wrong with girls? And I thought all the vampires in the mountain knew what I looked like? That guy… Mr Tiny? Didn't he put a picture of me in your heads of something?"

"No, not an image as such. We did not actually know what you looked like. We just had a sense – so that, when we saw you – we would know that you are the saviour. And as for girls – there is no problem with them. It is just there are few female vampires, all vampires are infertile, you see, male and female alike. Most are males…" He coughed uncomfortably. "What I am trying to say is they may try to take advantage of you."

I shuddered, wishing he'd kept that to himself. "Thanks for the info."

Mr Crepsley merely rolled his eyes.

"Come," He told me. "We will go to the Cirque Du Freak. There at least, we will be safe. We will wait for Vancha's signal there."

He bent down a little and said, "Hop on my back."

"What?" I asked incredulously.

"Just get on my back." He demanded impatiently. I obeyed, not wanting to agitate him further. As I was wondering why he had told me to climb on his back like a tiny child, he said, "By the way, Mercy, there is one thing that I should inform you. Hold your breath." He chuckled slightly, as if he was replaying a memory through his mind, and, once I had taken a deep breath, he ran.

I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to ferretgirlsz who has been absolutely awesome reviewing my chapters! Thanks! 3


	10. Welcome to the Cirque

**Chapter Ten ; **_**Welcome to the Cirque**_

I hadn't slept in ages. I could barely feel my feet, they were aching so much. Mr Crepsley didn't stop for breaks very often – he said he wanted to get to the Cirque Du Freak as soon as possible. He still hadn't explained to me what this place was. I figured, from the French lessons that I'd taken at school, that it meant "Circus of Freaks" in English. A freak show? Why the heck did Mr Crepsley want to take me to a freak show of all places? Were there vampires there? When I mentioned this to my mentor, he chuckled lightly and didn't reply. It really annoyed me when he did that.

Come to think of it, he annoyed me a lot.

I absolutely resented him with every bone in my body for taking me away from my home – but I knew in my heart that, if I had stayed human, my life wouldn't have been much better. Sure, I'd have Kelly and Harry, but Bonnie was dead, and without her, my life wasn't even worth living.

Besides, most of the time he wasn't that bad.

My mind kept rewinding back to that night when I was unburied by the orange haired vampire. When I had jumped on Mr Crepsley's back, he had flitted, a really fast type of running that only vampires and vampaneze could reach speeds of. Half vampires couldn't, nor could half vampaneze. Not that I was upset about that. Once we had finally finished flitting, I felt uneasy, dizzy and sick.

"It is always worse the first time." Mr Crepsley told me after I'd thrown up about fifty times. I had rolled my eyes dryly. "Well isn't _that_ a relief."

It took a long time to get to the Cirque Du Freak. When Mr Crepsley suggested flitting again, I snapped and told him I would rather be squished by a truck. So he retorted with a "I do not see why I bother to ask anyway. All you would do is moan and whinge like a baby again."

I resisted the urge to slap him.

At last, we arrived at the Cirque Du Freak. I wanted to faint with relief. In stead, I pretty much screamed, "Halle-flipping-lujah!" Earning an icy glare from my mentor. Mr Crepsley led me through a huge arch, it was black and had the effect of spiderwebs, all laced together in a pretty awesome swirly pattern. I took an immediate shine to it. It was topped off with round, shining orbs, green and purple and red and turquoise.

"Welcome to the Cirque Du Freak." Mr Crepsley stopped, facing me in the center of the campground, arms outstretched, gesturing to the tents and trailers on either side of him. I gazed around in complete and utter wonder. There were trailers pretty much everywhere I looked, and each had its unique look to it. One, for example, looked like a ribcage. Another looked like a snake's open mouth. "What's with the creepy tents?" I asked. "Each represents their owner in their own unique form." The vampire answered. "For example, that trailer," He indicated to the ribcage trailer with a long pale finger, "Belongs to Alexander Ribs, the world's skinniest man." I nodded – but inside I was confused. World's skinniest man? What else did they have here?

Suddenly, a hand grabbed my shoulder. "Greetings, Larten." I whirled around, fear pounding in my heart, and came face to face with the tallest man I had ever seen in my life. And when I say tall, I mean freakishly _gigantic_. He was very curious looking. He smiled, and his teeth were black! Urgh! I also noted his eyes. They were so dark… it was like staring into a whirling black tidepool, about to be dragged under…

I snapped out of my thoughts when Mr Crepsley shook hands with the tall man. "Hibernius. And how are you?"

"I am very well, thank you." The tall man turned to me, dark eyes boring into my own. "Hibernius, this is-" Mr Crepsley started.

"Mercy Darter." The man interrupted, holding out a hand for me to shake. I was pretty freaked out by now, but I shook his outstretched hand all the same.

Mr Crepsley smiled weakly. "Ah, of course, I should have known. Mercy, this is Mr Tall."

Mr Tall. How very damn appropriate.

"How do you know my name?" I queried the odd man.

"I know a lot of things." Mr Tall tapped the side of his nose with a long, skinny finger.

I frowned. Okay – now I was very confused. "What do you do here?"

"We have the world's most amazing and unique people that you will ever meet. You will find nothing like us anywhere else."

"What sort of people?" I asked, intrigued.

"Just you wait and see." Was his reply. He was nearly as bad as Mr Crepsley for telling me things! I huffed, and he continued.

"You will have to help out around the Cirque, Mercy." He told me sternly. "Everybody here lends a hand. Tomorrow, I'll let you off your duties – you need to catch up on some sleep. Just spend tomorrow finding your way around."

"Thank you." I said, relieved that he had allowed me to stay at the Cirque.

"Where should she sleep?" Mr Crepsley asked. "Have you any ideas?"

The tall, mysterious man nodded slowly. "I shall put her in with Lilia."

Mr Crepsley smiled. "This reminds me of Darren very much." He commented as he ushered me to his left. Hibernius Tall nodded, and a smile stretched at the corners of his lips. "Precisely."

"Who's Lilia?" I asked as I followed Mr Crepsley. His eyes were focused on the orange-red glow of the sun as it began to rise over the horizon. "Wait and see."

"I'm fed up of waiting!" I growled under my breath.

"It is a fact of life, learn to deal with it." The killjoy replied moodily. He always got moody when he was tired.

Soon we arrived at a medium sized purple tent. In the faint light of the rising sun, I saw scale shapes on the sides. Mr Crepsley shoved me a little in the direction of the tent. "Just go in, she will not bite." The sun was strong enough for me to see his half smile.

"But-"

"Just go in." He said, and shoved me again. This time I stepped into the tent. When I turned round again to moan at my mentor, there was no sign of the orange haired vampire to be seen. "Stupid old…" I grumbled, my sentence left unfinished.

I gingerly tip toed further into the tent. It was quite dark, but I saw a small hammock to one corner. I couldn't see my new room-mate yet, but there was another section of the tent off to my right, so I guessed she must be over there. I went over to the hammock and shoved my pack underneath it. I fell straight into the hammock, exhausted, and fell asleep almost as soon as I closed my eyes.


	11. First Impressions Last Forever

_You may be wondering why all of the freakfolk are still alive and ageless- well this story takes place about fifty years on from the books… lets just say the Freakcorp just age real slow like the vampires– cause I didn't really think about that when making this. Forgive me ^_^'_

_Psss… remember that everyone that died in the series (except a few of the baddies that I haven't decided if I should let live yet) are actually alive. This includes Shancus, so don't ask anything about why he's here._

**Chapter Eleven ; **_**First Impressions Last Forever**_

_I couldn't see anything. Only blackness, stretched out in front of me like an unwelcome wave of darkness. Then, there was a light. Too bright for my eyes. I shielded my face with my hands, wincing. The orb of light grew larger and larger, and it took me a moment to realise that it was coming towards me. _

_It was too bright. Blinding. Aching. It made my head throb like a human heart. It burnt so much, it felt like my whole being was turned inside out – just because of a bright light that seemed to be getting brighter, and closer. _

_As it got closer to me, I suddenly realised with a jolt that it wasn't just a bright orb of light._

_It was the sun._

_And it was burning me alive._

I jolted awake, flinging myself off the hammock in a terrified frenzy to escape the nightmare. The sun. It had burnt me in a matter of seconds. It was going to fry me like a human kebab. I didn't want to be unable to come out in daylight! I didn't want to be condemned to the night forever. It frightened me. It shook me to my core. It would mean losing my humanity, and I didn't want to do that.

It took me a few seconds to feel the cold tears running down my cheeks. I wiped them away angrily. I had to deal with this myself. There was no going back now. I was a half-vampire. I was destined to save my kind. I sat up and groggily looked around, picking up on my surroundings. It was bright outside. I looked around the tent, realising that I was yet to meet Lilia, my new tent mate. As I was wondering where she could be, a tall girl stepped out of the other part of the tent. I was shocked when I looked at her. She had no skin! Did she? Her 'skin' was a deep dark green, and I was absolutely stunned to see that she actually had _scales._ I was completely blown away, sitting on the floor next to my hammock, staring up at her. Was it even possible for somebody to have scales?

She looked about a few years older than me – perhaps fifteen or sixteen. Her hair was very long, and various shades of yellow and pale green. It was mostly a sandy yellow, but streaked through with more sun-coloured yellows and greens. Her eyes looked like a snake's. Narrowed and yellow, with the pupils being just slits of black. She was wearing a pale green dressing gown.

"What are you looking at?" She challenged, taking in my stunted expression.

"Uh… nothing… its just-"

"Yeah, I know. I have scales." She laughed, and I was surprised at this. She had sounded annoyed before, but now her voice was more friendly, and welcoming, too. She walked over to me and held out a hand in offer. I took it gratefully and she hauled me up.

"You must be my new tent mate then." She grinned. "I'm Lilia by the way. Lilia Von."

"Lilia Von what?"

Lilia laughed, as if something was hilarious. "Just plain Von." She replied. "So, what's your name?"

"Mercy," I replied, shaking her hand.

"You must be Mr Crepsley's assistant." She said matter-of-factly. "When Mr Tall found out from Mr Crepsley that you were coming…"

It suddenly occurred to me that I had no idea how Mr Crepsley had located the Cirque Du Freak. Hadn't he said that they travelled all over the world? I decided to question him about that at a later date.

"…He told me to expect to have to share my tent." She shrugged. "I don't mind. It gets quite lonely around here sometimes."

I smiled, glad of her company. Lilia seemed like a nice person to be around. "So, what are you, if you don't mind me asking?" I asked her, looking pointedly at her unique scales.

"I'm a snake girl." She grinned. "I know what _you_ are."

I winced. "I hate it." I admitted to her. "I'm dreading the first time I have to drink human blood."

She smiled sympathetically. "Well, you can't drink from _me_! Snake's blood is poisonous to your lot."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "Oh yes," She grinned. "But, Mercy," She fell serious again, "Don't put off drinking human blood. My dad told me about this time when he was a boy. His best friend resisted drinking blood and it weakened him so much that if he hadn't drank soon, he would've died."

"Wow," I said, "Who was he? Your dad's best friend?"

"Apparently, he's one of those Vampire Princes that live in your mountain. He used to be Mr Crepsley's assistant as well, you know."

"What was his name?" I asked, interested now.

"Darren, I think…" Lilia looked deep in thought. I nodded knowingly. This was the Darren that Mr Crepsley spoke of.

We talked for quite a while, and I found that I liked speaking to the snake girl. Soon enough, we got dressed and then she led me outside. The sun shone warmly overhead. I guessed it was about one o'clock in the afternoon. As I shielded my eyes from its bright glare, I shut down uncomfortable memories of my nightmare hard. I couldn't think about that now. "Mmm, lunch time." Lilia commented, skipping ahead and beckoning to me. I led me over to a fire, where lots of people were sitting around it, joking and laughing in the strong sunlight. A man stood up from one of the logs and made his way over to us. He too, like Lilia, had scales. He looked from me to the snake girl and grinned. "Found a friend, Lilia?"

Lilia smiled at him and turned to me. "This is my dad, Evra Von." I smiled. "Nice to meet you." He grinned. "Likewise."

"Everyone's been told about you, Mercy." Lilia told me in a hushed whisper. "Most of them are edgy – Darren was here before, and the whole Cirque got into a lot of trouble because of vampire interference." I nodded. Lilia introduced me to all of the freak folk that sat comfortably around the fire. Alexander Ribs really was the skinniest man in the world. He was practically just ribs and didn't have a bit of fat on his body. Rhamus Twobellies was the complete opposite of Alexander. He literally had two bellies, and could eat lots at the same time, including nuts and bolts, apparently. Cormac Limbs could regrow any of his limbs, and he had two heads. He told me that once his head got chopped off, and his heads had just multiplied back! I was astonished at this. There was Madame Truska, who was a very beautiful woman who could grow a beard at will. Gertha Teeth had amazingly strong teeth and could bite through anything. I was very touched when most of them seemed to accept me as a half-vampire. "As long as you don't drink my blood!" Alexander joked, flicking his skinny ribs with a finger. It also turned out that Lilia had two brothers. The oldest, Shancus, who was named after Darren Shan, had scales like Evra and Lilia. Urcha, on the other hand, looked just like a human. He was very sad about this. I also met Lilia's mom and Evra's wife, Merla, who had detachable ears and could throw them like boomerangs.

I spent the rest of the day exploring the Cirque, toured by Lilia, who I was getting on with really well. She was very funny and had a great sense of humour – it was easy to have a comfortable conversation with her. As the sky darkened, the sky turned a glowing orange. We went to sit around the campfire. It was a Saturday night, and since at the moment the Cirque was in a resting point between two towns, there was no show. I couldn't wait to see the show. I had been told that I was allowed to watch it – and I was very excited to see what acts my new friends would perform!

We roasted marshmallows around the fire. Rhamus made us all laugh by eating a few of the marshmallow sticks. By the time most of the freaks had gone to bed, I felt blissful. I hadn't been this happy since Bonnie died. All the freaks had retired to their tents now – we would be moving on tomorrow and they all wanted an early night – it was only me and Lilia left. We roasted a few marshmallows, and then Mr Tall came along and sat on the log opposite us. "Good evening girls," He said in greeting, and we mumbled a reply through mouthfuls of marshmallow. "Mercy," He addressed me, and I swallowed my marshmallow and listened intently. "Your mentor will be awakening soon. I would be ready if I was you – he intends to start training you tonight."

I felt a jolt at his words. It would be my first training session with Mr Crepsley. I wondered what I would learn. How to fight. How to defend myself. I was nervous, but excited. Soon after Mr Tall had gone, Mr Crepsley appeared from his tent and wandered over to the fire. Lilia, knowing we would be leaving straight away, bid us goodnight and left for the tent.

"Good evening." Mr Crepsley greeted me. "Are you ready to learn?"

I gritted my teeth in nerve. "I think so." I replied.

So, with that, he led me out of the campsite and into the dark unknown beyond.


	12. Traits of Survival

**Chapter Twelve ; **_**Traits of Survival**_

The night air was chill, but that didn't bother my tough skin. As a vampire, I now hardly felt the cold. It was pleasing, though I still missed my human life. More than I had ever expected. I knew it would take a while to get used to, but I didn't expect it to be so hard to turn my back on everything I had ever known. The people at home, my friends, my family, they all thought I was dead. And the worst thing ever was living with the knowledge that I could never, never change that, however much I wanted to just run away home and yell out that I was alive.

I sucked in my tears and cleared my head in preparation for my first lesson of becoming a proper vampire. Mr Crepsley walked just ahead of me - I was dully watching the sweeping movements of his red cape that he was so fond of. He had done this all before, with Darren. Thinking of Darren got me thinking about Vampire Mountain. I was itching to go to the heart of the vampire world, but I was so nervous. What would the Princes and the other vampires think of me? I knew they would be surprised that I was a girl – and that was probably my biggest fear. I was afraid they wouldn't like me, that they would turn away from me because I was a girl. Darren was a boy – and I thought that most vampires were male, because neither Mr Crepsley or Vancha had mentioned any female. I'd just have to see what fate held in store for me when we arrived.

Sweeping the thoughts of Vampire Mountain to the back of my mind to save them for a date when I had time to ponder over them, I suddenly remembered something I had been meaning to ask Mr Crepsley.

"Mr Crepsley?" I asked, and he turned, halting his step. "Yes, Mercy?"

"How did you know where the Cirque were? How did you know where to find it?"

Mr Crepsley began walking again and gestured for me to walk beside him. I did so, and he explained. "I can pick up on Mr Tall's brainwaves, just like I can with Vancha. I pick up his train of thought – I can find it from anywhere over the world, and just follow the trail. Another word to describe it is telepathy."

I decided I wanted to know more about telepathy, it sounded an interesting topic anyway.

"Can you find anyone's brainwaves."

"Only people that I have bonded with. Only people that I trust. Less that ten people on this whole planet could pick up my brain signals."

"Wow. You don't trust many people."

Mr Crepsley smirked. "It is a small world in which we live. But telepathy can be very misleading. For example, if I had an argument with Mr Tall for some reason, he could track me down, even if I did not want him to. I cannot close my mind off to him. When you search for somebody's mental waves, you pick up on their location automatically. Their conscious mind may not even be aware of it."

I figured that I understood what my mentor was telling me, and after a bit more of walking through the dark forest, he stopped in a clearing.

"We will train here." He announced to me. And then, suddenly, he disappeared.

I gasped, spinning around, glancing in all directions. I was utterly confused. "Crepsley?" I shouted into the night air. The moon was the only source of light in the dark navy sky. Its silver glow washed down on the clearing and tangled through the branches of trees that circled the edge of the small clearing. Luckily for me, my heightened vampire senses let me see better in the dark, I was well adapted – all vampires were. I searched around for my mentor once more. "Mr Crepsley – if this is some sort of joke, then-"

I stopped mid-sentence as a figure swooped down on me. I let out a startled shout and scrambled round to face my attacker, fists clenched, I was absolutely terrified. And then I realised who it was.

Mr Crepsley stood over me, one foot holding me down. That annoying smirk was on his face _once again._ If I had the strength, I would have most definitely punched him.

I let out an angry snarl. He just dug his heel into my stomach harder. I almost choked. "Ouch! Get off, that hurts." I attempted to push him away, but that failed.

"What are you going to do about it?" He asked, the smirk still plastered to his scarred face. He dug his heel in again, and this time I did choke. He really didn't care if he was hurting me, it came to my realisation. Damn vampire. Angrily, I threw myself upwards, wrenching his foot from my stomach and flying to my feet to face him. He smiled. "Very good. Now, you need to be able to defend yourself. What if somebody wanted to attack you and kill you, and what if I was not there? What if it was a vampaneze? You would stand no chance the way you are now."

I glowered at him in annoyance at this statement, even if I did know this was a true fact. I hated to be told things that I was already aware of.

He disappeared again, but this time I was ready. I listened intently for any sound of Mr Crepsley preparing to jump out on me. I heard the faintest of faintest rustles in a tree to my left. It got slightly louder, and I leapt out of the way, striking out at him with my hand. He caught it quickly before it hit him, and held my fist firmly. "Use your nails! If you do not have a weapon on you at the time, your nails are the best things to use."

I nodded obediently and he chopped out at me with his right hand. I twisted away from it and grabbed his wrist, bending it away from me. Mr Crepsley nodded. "Good tactic."

We continued this until about 2AM, when finally, he stopped and watched me. "You showed skill tonight, Mercy, but you still have a lot to learn. No matter. We will train most nights from now on, and work you up to be the best you can be." I sat down on the floor, panting hard. The training had worn me out more than I expected. All I wanted to do now was sleep, but I knew that the night was still quite young. Mr Crepsley stared down at me, a thoughtful look set upon his features. He rubbed his long scar that ran down the left side of his face as he thought, staring into the distance. When he looked back at me, his eyes looking troubled… afraid? But definite, all the same.

"Tomorrow night, you will drink human blood for the first time."

His voice was so commanding and so certain, that I almost forgot to breathe.

I didn't want this.


	13. Wish Fulfilled

[Sorry for the wait guys. Also, there might be a bit more time in between chapters for this now, simply because i'm going to work on my other two fictions a bit more, but don't worry – I won't forget about this one.]

**Chapter Thirteen ; **_**Wish Fulfilled**_

I couldn't sleep the next morning. My eyes kept fluttering shut and then reopening, remembering what would happen that following night.  
Mr Crepsley wanted me to _drink blood_.

That just wasn't who I was. I didn't want to lose my humanity, not yet. I missed my human life more than I would have imagined in the first place. I knew it would be hard, but not _this_ hard. I didn't know that my mentor would insist on me drinking blood the very second night.  
I sighed, my breath uneven. Terror filled me to the brim, and it felt like there was a huge, heavy black cloud hanging over my head, and it was promising thunder. As long as it stayed a cloud and nothing more, then I would be fine. But I couldn't shake the feeling that it would grow to be even more.

I cast my fears aside when Lilia woke up. It was about five hours after my training session with Mr Crepsley, and I was exhausted.  
"Good morning." She commented brightly, swinging her legs around on her hammock so that they touched the floor. Grabbing her pale green dressing gown and wrapping it around her, she grinned widely at me. "You know, it feels so great to have a tent mate. I wake up, and i'm not alone."

I smiled weakly back at her. "I'm glad you like me." I smiled wider now.  
"What's up?" Lilia hadn't missed my first, glum smile. "How did your first training session go?"  
"It went great." I replied truthfully. "But Mr Crepsley said something right at the end that... kind of scared me."  
Lilia frowned. "What did he say?"  
"He said that tonight... he wants me to drink blood."

Lilia stared at me for a second, as though she wasn't sure whether she should believe me or not. "So soon?" She asked, head cocked to the side quizzically.  
"It appears so." I replied, sorrow dripping off my words. "I don't want this, Lilia. I want to be human. I want to have a normal life. Its not fair that I was chosen to save the vampires. Why me?" My voice shook, but now it was angry, a furious shaking – I was fuming. Why, out of everyone on Earth, was it me that was condemned to the night forever? Lilia hugged me sympathetically.  
"Anyhow," I continued, calming myself down forcefully. "There's nothing I can do now. I have no other choice."  
"That's true." The snake girl agreed solemnly.

The sun spread its warm glow over the Cirque Du Freak that day, more than the day before. Lilia and I did many chores, helping out wherever we could. Rhamus Twobellies needed some more cutlery to practise his act. I still hadn't seen the performance of any of the colourful, crazy cast, and was really looking forward to it. I wondered what it would be like. How could I really be part of the Cirque when I hadn't even seen their ultimate show? Rhamus asked if I wanted him to give me a demonstration, but I declined, saying I'd love to, but I wanted to see the acts altogether.

At midday, it was time to set up for the show. The place where we were performing was an abandoned church in the middle of nowhere. "How do you know people are going to find it here?" I commented to Lilia.  
"People always turn up – wherever we perform." She replied. We were put in charge of selling tickets around in the next town. We sold a surprising amount. We had to act mysterious and creepy, so that the people we sold the tickets to would be intrigued.  
We returned back at the Cirque as the sun was setting, and were greeted by Mr Tall. "Good job for today, girls." He said in that freakish manner of his, and then he held out a ticket to me. _Cirque Du Freak_ was written on it in bold, spider-web writing. "Front row seat." Mr Tall grinned, and then he had vanished.  
"Yes!" I grinned widely, waving the ticket in front of my friend's face. "I'm going to watch you perform!"  
"Actually," Lilia replied somewhat sheepishly, "I'm not performing tonight. But Evra and Shancus are. I'm working backstage tonight."  
I frowned for a moment but it was soon forgotten. "I don't care!" I grinned. "I'm going to watch the Cirque Du Freak in action!"

I entered Mr Crepsley's tent just as he was pulling on his red cloak. "Are you performing tonight?" I asked him.  
"Yes." He replied shortly.  
"What are you going to do?"  
"Wait and see." He replied in a very annoying way.  
I huffed, but wasn't too affected by it. "Mr Tall gave me a ticket to watch."  
"I know."  
"So..."  
"You _will_ drink human blood." He commented, as though he could read my mind.  
"When?" I asked, a moan of horror attached to my tone.  
"Tomorrow night." He replied. "And that is final." With this last statement, he took a crate from a table and gracefully swept out of the tent, his red cloak flaring out behind him.

I looked in the direction that my mentor had disappeared, and sighed. Tomorrow. That was all I had of my humanity left.


	14. Happy the Hard Way

**Chapter Fourteen **_**; Happy the Hard Way**_

The moon shone full and round in the midnight dark sky as I entered the abandoned church. Excitement bubbled within me as I took in the sight of the interior. I was the first one in, obviously, as I had arrived with the rest of the Cirque. There were lots of pews where the people were going to sit, and a few deckchairs near the front. A stage was propped up at the very end, and blood-red curtains decorated around it, giving off a horror effect. I seated myself on one of the deckchairs right at the very front of the church, my eyes taking in the whole stage. It was deadly quiet, until someone spoke from right next to me.

"Excited for the show?" It was Mr Tall. I jumped out of my skin – he hadn't been there a second ago – but soon relaxed. "Yes, I really am." I replied enthusiastically – and it was the truth as well. My whole body was pretty much shivering with excitement.  
"Good. Then you will not be disappointed."  
And then he had disappeared. Surprised again, I flung myself around and spotted him at the door of the church. He winked at me slyly, before turning to greet the first visitor. I was entertained as I waited for the show to start. I laughed to myself as I watched Mr Tall appear suddenly whenever somebody arrived, and the shocked gasps and a few screams of the people.

Finally, the massive double wooden doors swung shut with a loud _clunk_, and the crowd of people went completely silent. The whole place was shrouded in darkness, until two bright floodlights shocked up from the front, alongside a few red lights, going along with the blood-red theme. Trumpets sounded, singing out a nightmarish tune. My eyes glided over the stage, my heart thumped with apprehension – but excitement once again overpowered it soon enough. Then Mr Tall was standing on the stage, smiling around at everyone curiously. "Welcome, my friends. Welcome to the Cirque Du Freak. We are one of the longest operating freak shows in the world. Here you will witness the most amazing and stunning acts that you first thought to be impossible. If you get frightened easily, or have a tendency to panic, I ask you to leave now. Because all of these acts are real, and none of them assure safety."  
And with that statement, the operator of the Cirque slipped back into the wings so quickly that everyone was left staring at empty space.

First on was Rhamus Twobellies. I had been anticipating his act ever since I had seen both of his bellies – and it was certainly a unique act too. Some small hooded people, their faces covered by the blue material of their clothing – I decided I would ask Lilia about them later - wheeled on a big tray loaded with cutlery, china and other inedible things. Or at least I thought they were inedible. To everyone's astonishment, Rhamus gulped down every single one of the inedible items in under five minutes. I was amazed, and applauded along with the rest of the crowd.  
Next up was Gertha Teeth, who could bite through anything you put in front of her. This slightly tied in with Rhamus' act as they worked together – Gertha bit into huge chunks of metal and Rhamus swallowed it all. I was having a great time.  
Then was the Wolfman. He was a massive hairy beast that looked half wolf, half man. He crept around the stage, snarling and roaring at people. A few of the audience actually left out of fear. The Wolfman came up right next to me and sniffed my face. I didn't flinch, but met his gaze. He grunted and looked away, obviously disturbed by my half vampire blood.  
Alexander Ribs was next. He played a tune on his insanely skinny body like a xylophone. Every time he hit one of his ribs, it made a light, soulful pinging sound and vibrated into the air. Cormac Limbs joined him on stage and astounded the audience by chopping off his hands and toes. I watched with awe as they grew back. Honestly, I never thought I'd get used to seeing the man grow back fingers or toes or anything, really. It just grew back, just like that.  
After them was Madame Truska. She grew her beard and earned a round of applause – but she wasn't finished. She let people come up and try to cut off her beard with scissors, hedge trimmers, and even an electric saw – but nothing could cut it off! I hadn't been expecting this, so this was a treat for me.  
Then the lights dimmed and there was Mr Crepsley. He took a bow, and then introduced his act. He explained that not all spiders were poisonous, but those that were could send you into a coma or worse, kill you. While I was wondering why the hell he was talking about spiders, the small crate that he had set on a table when he had entered the stage caught my attention. What was in there? I was intrigued to find out.  
That was when Mr Crepsley whipped away the cloth from on top the crate and inside was a massive, colourful and very ugly spider. It was red, purple, green and blue with various darker splotches. Its eyes trickled along the crowd. I never knew Mr Crepsley was one to keep a spider like this and decided to quiz him about it later.  
"This is Madam Octa." My mentor announced. "Now, I need to ask you all to please not make any sudden movements or noises. If you do, it will ensure certain death. One bite of this spider and you are dead."  
The audience was deathly quiet, and everyone was on the edge of their seats. Then Mr Crepsley opened the spider's cage. A few people that were on my row made to jump up and run for their lives, but a long hiss from Mr Crepsley sat them down again. They remembered his warning.

The vampire brought out a flute from his pocket and began playing a strange little tune. Madam Octa appeared to cock her head. Her legs twitched, and she skittered out of the cage, swaying lazily to the flute's music. Mr Crepsley made her do all kinds of things. She danced, made beautiful webs and finally, climbed up the vampire's leg and arm until she sat upon his head. I had to stifle a laugh, he looked really funny with the spider sitting on his head like some sort of hat. Then suddenly, she climbed onto his mouth. I gasped, frightened she would bite him. But then Mr Tall appeared from the wings and took up the tune with a flute of his own. Madam Octa began weaving a web over Mr Crepsley's mouth, and when she had finished and Mr Tall had coaxed her back into the cage, the red-haired vampire licked his lips and swallowed the web.  
When he went off the stage, he received the biggest applause so far, the loudest hands were mine.

Then Mr Tall appeared back on stage and announced the ending of the show. "Thank you for watching. And please, come again." He gave one of those curious smiles of his again, black eyes scanning the crowd, and was gone. Another applause filled the church, and within ten minutes they had all filed out, and I was the only one still inside.

I met Mr Crepsley outside the church, and I was buzzing with joy. "That was _amazing_!" I gasped as I reached him. "I am glad you enjoyed it." He smiled. "Enjoyed it? That was the best show I've ever seen in my life! And you – you have a spider? She's really awesome!"  
"I am relieved that you think so. Then you can be in charge of her. You can feed her and exercise her."  
I huffed, smile fading. "Thanks a lot." My tone dripped with sarcasm.  
He ignored me and began walking. I followed, and after a while I realised we weren't heading back to the Cirque. "Where are we going?" I asked.  
"You are going to drink blood." His answer was cold, and threatened that if I said anything against it then he would have it in for me.  
My mood decreased within a heartbeat. I had completely forgotten about that. "I thought I had until tomorrow?"  
"It is better to get it over with now." He replied, red cloak billowing out behind him with a swift breeze. "That's not fair!" I snapped. He just snarled. "If you do not drink blood, you will die. It is as simple as that, Mercy."  
With a hiss, I declined into silence. I couldn't believe that he was so mean, and so cruel. Why did he have to take me away from everything I had ever known? I hated him for that!

We arrived at an old barn in the middle of nowhere. Without another word, my mentor started forwards and then stopped by the barn door. "There is a farmer in here, and he is on his own. You will drink from him. Do you understand?"  
I glared hatefully at him. "How the bloody hell do you expect me to do that?"  
"Watch me." He answered, and slipped through the door. I followed him in and watched as he went up behind the farmer and breathed sharply over his shoulder. The man collapsed at his feet.  
"What have you done?" I shouted, rushing up and kneeling next to the fallen farmer. "Do not be such a baby. I merely knocked him out by exhaling a special gas into his oxygen that only full vampires and Vampaneze possess. It knocks out human beings for a short amount of time. You will not be able to do this yet. Now, watch what I do and copy me closely."  
I watched silently as he bent over the man and made a small cut on his leg by drawing a sharp nail over the flesh. I felt sick as Mr Crepsley bent over the cut and clamp his mouth around it. When he had finished, he spat on his palms, rubbed them together, and spread it on the cut. I watched in amazement as the cut healed up immediately. "Healing spit is only available to full vampires also. Again, you cannot do this yet. When we feed, it is important that we heal the cut so that we do not arouse suspicion amongst the humans. Now it is your turn."  
I stared numbly at the man's leg, a cold dread filling my lungs. I felt icy claws clasp around my heart, wrenching it in every direction. I looked at Mr Crepsley and opened my mouth to say I wasn't going to drink from a human, when a recent memory struck me. I remembered the first time I had met Lilia, she had told me to not delay drinking human blood. At first, I struggled to remember why, when at last it hit me. She told me of the time when her father and Darren Shan were younger. Darren had almost died because he had delayed drinking blood.

I took a deep breath, making up my mind. Heeding Lilia's warning, I drew my surprisingly sharp nail over the flesh on the farmer's leg, nearer to the ankle this time, and watched as the blood oozed from the tiny cut. "Do not hesitate." Mr Crepsley warned. "We are taking too much blood from him as it is."  
Closing my eyes, aware of my heart in my throat, I bent low and clamped my mouth around the oozing cut. Blood swarmed into my mouth quicker than expected. It tasted salty, metallic. Rusty. But the satisfaction that spread through me was unreal. It was delicious. It was so hard, accepting the fact that I loved the taste of human blood. A warm feeling spread inside me. I had been hoping to draw away, coughing and choking, the blood tasting like sour milk or rotten fruit. But it was so delicious, I just couldn't help myself. As soon as I drew away from the unconscious farmer, I was acutely aware to my sudden heightened senses. I could hear so much better than I had before. My vision was healthier than it had been all my life, and was so clear and flawless that it was like I was looking through glasses. My sense of smell was amazing, I could smell everything from the cows in the next room of the barn to the smoke that wafted from the factory a couple of fields away, and further still. When Mr Crepsley had sealed the cut, he looked at me expectantly. I licked away the last traces of blood from my lips and found a smile tugging at my mouth.

"Delicious, is it not?" He queried, a smile playing at the edges of his normally down turned lips. "Its... amazing..." I breathed. I wasn't happy at all with what I had done, but the advantages that it gave me sent my heart soaring. I was a true creature of the night now, and a sadness curled inside of me. I was going to voice my thoughts to Mr Crepsley, when I noticed the sudden faraway expression on his face.  
"Mr Crepsley?" I asked, studying him curiously. His eyes flickered back to me, and his mouth fixed into a hard line. "Vancha just contacted me." He stated, and I drew back, shock building within me. But my mentor wasn't finished.

"He wants us to join him in Vampire Mountain as soon as possible."


End file.
